4th October 2016

'Do you remember me?'

Taki sat up with a jolt, his brown hair covering his teary eyes. It took him a moment for his mind to register the liquid streaming down his face. What didn't register was why he was crying. He had no clue, but his heart was racing and his lungs were breathless. Whatever he was dreaming about, it shook a little bit harder than it probably should have.

It was at that moment that Taki finally noticed his surroundings. He was no longer atop some random mountain, but lying in a red tent. He looked around, but there wasn't that much to look around for. There was the sleeping bag he was in, his bag, his coat and a bottle of water. He never remembered bringing a tent, much less going to sleep in one. It was all a blur. He couldn't recall the last few days events... at all. Not even a hint of what had happened. He had left Tokyo with his friends, but that was it. Next thing he remembers hes alone on a mountain. Nothing made snese anymore...

'Are you awake?'

The gruff, authoritative voice came out of nowhere, and took Taki by surprise. 'Hello?' he asked out loud.

And then the tent's entrance flapped open.

Meanwhile in Tokyo... everything went to shit.

OK maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Things started to take a turn for the 'unenjoyable' when Mitsuha met up with her friends. It all started with a change from the bright, sunny afternoon to a sky that was stained with grey clouds, making the group ponder whether or not it was smart to be outside that day. This was followed by the their restaurant reservation being cancelled due to a lack of staffing, then the trains started running late because of an accident so they couldn't make it to Yongen Jaya for a replacement meal (there was supposed to be this cafe that served some really nice coffee and curry) and to top it all off, Mitsuha's granny called to say that they ran into some trouble so they probably wouldn't be back for another few days. Even longer with adult responsibilities just thrust upon her!

Because there had been so many, how do I phrase it, unpleasant occurrences that day, the group decided to split up for the day. For Sayaka and Tessie, that just meant that they would be heading to Akihabara. However, Mitsuha's train to Ikebukuro was delayed due to the accident, so she opted to remain on a park bench with a stormy look on her face while she waited for an extra HOUR for the next train. It was definitely not her day.

So she sat there alone.

On a Shibuya bench.

While the uncertainty of the weather plagued her thoughts.

Until a stranger opted to sit next to her on the bench.

Mitsuha looked at her companion. She was a girl, around her age, with light brown hair. She was wearing a black dress and a white hat, with rose tinted sunglasses covering her eyes. Mitsuha also couldn't fail to notice the lit cigarette in her right hand, which she raised to her mouth to take a puff from every so often.

Mitsuha couldn't help but feel like she had met this woman before. But that was impossible, this person obviously lived in Tokyo, and she didn't remember meeting anyone so distinguished.

Unless...

'Are you okay?'

The suddenness of the question shocked Mitsuha for a moment, but then she realised that it was fairly obvious that she wasn't...

...In the best frame of mind right now.

'Uh, where do I even begin...?' was Mitsuha's exasperated reply.

'I got time,' came a calm, caring voice, 'I'm just waiting for a train right now.'

Mitsuha wasn't surprised that someone shared her predicament, no she was surprised that a stranger was this insistent on listening to her problems. Of course, she couldn't just tell her the full story, about the body swapping and the lost memories, but she felt as though she could vent to this person.

'Well...' she began, 'A few years ago, I met this boy. We kind of got off on the wrong foot due to, a, um...'

She paused, trying to come up with a word instead of body swapping.

'... an, awkward situation...'

'...And I know he's out there but, I just don't know how to meet him'

Mitsuha finished her story, embarrassed that she had revealed so much to a complete stranger. Yet, she had this warm familiarity to her, like they had met before. That she could trust her.

The young woman placed her cigarette in her mouth and inhaled, the removed it and exhaled. 'So, basically,' she began, 'You fell in love with this Tokyo boy, but you have forgotten everything apart from that he lives in Tokyo.'

Mitsuha nodded.

'You even moved to Tokyo, but no memory seems to have triggered...'

Mitsuha's next nod seemed hesitant.

'And you don't have his contact information or anything?'

This time Mitsuha simply looked at her feet in embarrassment.

But to her surprise, this woman let of a friendly chuckle and smiled at her. 'You sound just like my friend,' was the heartwarming reply that she gave her.

'...WHAAAAAAAAAT?!'

Mitsuha was both very surprised and flustered in that exact moment. She had an excuse, the body swapping or something caused the memory loss. She couldn't believe that anyone who wasn't amnesiac could have a similar story. All the while she felt as though she was missing something, some thread that tied this chance conversation and her goal together. And with that statement, she felt this thread dangling in front of her face, but it was so thin that she was unable to see it.

'Hahaha, you even get flustered as easily as he did!' the woman laughed. It was a genuine, heartfelt laugh that made Mitsuha perk up.

'Tell you what,' she began, still smiling but more serious now, 'He went away, getting himself lost in the middle of nowhere to find his friend, and he was getting close to finding her last I checked. If it counts for anything,' she paused to collect her thoughts before continuing, 'Each step you take is one step closer, right?'

Mitsuha couldn't believe that she was getting a motivational message from some random stranger on a street-side bench. It was moments like these that made her feel like her search was not in vain. That if she has people like this supporting her, then there isn't any way she can fail.

It was also at that moment she realised her train was gonna arrive at the station any minute now.

'Oh! my trains away to come in! um...'

'It's okay. Oh, tell you what, I'll add you on Facebook. Um, whats your name again?'

'Mitsuha Miyamizu, and you?'

The girl hesitated, but then replied with a smile, 'Miki Okudera.'

Okudera waved Mitsuha off as she ran towards the station. It was only when she was boarding her train to go home that she realised something very important.

Miki Okudera.

She remembered that name, and that face. It all screamed in her ears making her feel stupid for not noticing earlier.

She met Okudera, in that boy's body.

I don't even know how much I can apologise for not updating this for a solid, what has it been now? 2 months? Damn. I am, a terrible, terrible author.

So I would say 'Hey, I'm actually going to have a frequent uploading schedule! YAY!' But I feel like that's worse than a 2 month wait for a chapter. Honestly I'm not sure if I'm going to get another chapter done by the end of May. I mean, I would like to, but it's probably not best to set my hopes too high.

Also, in case it wasn't obvious, Persona 5 came out, I beat it in 2 weeks and it proceeded to consume my soul. Yeah. I had a fun Easter. SO enjoy the references in this chapter.

Also, I apologise in advance, but a reason why there might not be another chapter this month is because I had an idea for a My Hero Academia one shot, and I'm probably going to go through with it. Also exams. Fun.

Anyway, I would like to ask that if you had any opinion on this chapter, be it positive, negative or anywhere in between, please leave a review to tell me what I should work on. I find that criticism is the best motivation to continue writing, when I have time. Or when Persona 5 stops gnawing at my soul. That could be a while.

Anyway, I hope to see in chapter that hopefully comes before the summer holidays. TOODLES!